Taban Air Flight 6437
Encyclopedia
Taban Air Flight 6437 was a scheduled domestic flight that crashed on landing at Mashhad
, Iran
on 24 January 2010. All 170 people escaped from the burning aircraft without loss of life. Most of the passengers were pilgrims returning from visiting holy sites in Iraq
.
. It had originated at Abadan
and had diverted to Isfahan due to poor visibility at Mashhad. Once visibility improved, the aircraft took off again, but the visibility deteriorated before Flight 6437 could land. The flight was holding near Mashhad International Airport
when a passenger fell seriously ill. The crew were told and they declared a medical emergency. They decided to land at Mashhad
on an ILS
approach for runway 31R despite the low visibility. During the landing the tail struck the ground causing the aircraft to veer off the runway, the nose gear to collapse, the right wing to strike the ground, and a fire. All passengers and crew survived the accident with 47 receiving injuries. The METAR
in force at the time of the accident was OIMM 240350Z 00000KT 0200 FG VV002 02/02 Q1021 A3017.
was suspended, grounding the airline. On 26 January 2010, it was reported that Russia's
Interstate Aviation Committee had joined the investigation.
Mashhad
Mashhad , is the second largest city in Iran and one of the holiest cities in the Shia Muslim world. It is also the only major Iranian city with an Arabic name. It is located east of Tehran, at the center of the Razavi Khorasan Province close to the borders of Afghanistan and Turkmenistan. Its...
, Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
on 24 January 2010. All 170 people escaped from the burning aircraft without loss of life. Most of the passengers were pilgrims returning from visiting holy sites in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
.
Aircraft
The aircraft involved was a Tupolev Tu-154M. It was registered RA-85787. The aircraft first flew in 1993.Accident
Flight 6437 was being operated by Kolavia on behalf of Taban AirTaban Air
thumb|right|A Taban Air [[BAe-146]] at [[Mehrabad Airport]], [[Iran]]. thumb|right|A Taban Air [[Tupolev Tu-154M]] at [[Shiraz International Airport]], [[Iran]]....
. It had originated at Abadan
Abadan Airport
Abadan Airport is situated 12 kilometers away from the city of Abadan, Iran.-History:During World War II, Abadan Airport was a major logistics center for Lend-Lease aircraft being sent to the Soviet Union by the United States...
and had diverted to Isfahan due to poor visibility at Mashhad. Once visibility improved, the aircraft took off again, but the visibility deteriorated before Flight 6437 could land. The flight was holding near Mashhad International Airport
Mashhad International Airport
Mashhad International Airport or Shahid Hashemi Nejad Airport is an airport in Mashhad, Razavi Khorasan, Iran.The airport is country's second busiest only to Tehran Mehrabad Airport and above the famous Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport. In 2009 airport handled 5,005,645 passengers...
when a passenger fell seriously ill. The crew were told and they declared a medical emergency. They decided to land at Mashhad
Mashhad
Mashhad , is the second largest city in Iran and one of the holiest cities in the Shia Muslim world. It is also the only major Iranian city with an Arabic name. It is located east of Tehran, at the center of the Razavi Khorasan Province close to the borders of Afghanistan and Turkmenistan. Its...
on an ILS
Instrument Landing System
An instrument landing system is a ground-based instrument approach system that provides precision guidance to an aircraft approaching and landing on a runway, using a combination of radio signals and, in many cases, high-intensity lighting arrays to enable a safe landing during instrument...
approach for runway 31R despite the low visibility. During the landing the tail struck the ground causing the aircraft to veer off the runway, the nose gear to collapse, the right wing to strike the ground, and a fire. All passengers and crew survived the accident with 47 receiving injuries. The METAR
METAR
METAR is a format for reporting weather information. A METAR weather report is predominantly used by pilots in fulfillment of a part of a pre-flight weather briefing, and by meteorologists, who use aggregated METAR information to assist in weather forecasting....
in force at the time of the accident was OIMM 240350Z 00000KT 0200 FG VV002 02/02 Q1021 A3017.
Investigation
The Iranian Civil Aviation Authority opened an investigation into the accident. The Air Operator's Certificate of Taban AirTaban Air
thumb|right|A Taban Air [[BAe-146]] at [[Mehrabad Airport]], [[Iran]]. thumb|right|A Taban Air [[Tupolev Tu-154M]] at [[Shiraz International Airport]], [[Iran]]....
was suspended, grounding the airline. On 26 January 2010, it was reported that Russia's
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
Interstate Aviation Committee had joined the investigation.